The call of God is often by stealth. He does not tell us everything in advance.

God's plan and purpose is often not realized until we are right in the middle of it. It's probably a good thing, because if He were to tell us in advance, we would not believe it possible or we would plan it out of existance.

I know we would like to know all the details, but "His grace is sufficient"   It is His grace and mercy and anointing that enables us to do what He wants us to do.  There are many believers who are frustrated and discouraged because they have not seen their vision come to fruition.   They saw the end result without realizing that God needed to lay the foundation that would keep the building from crumbling.

Can you imagine if God had told Saul of Tarsus exactly what He wanted him to do, as he lay there "trembling" on the Damascus road.  Paul would probably not have believed God and would not have been in agreement with God. 

Can you imagine God telling Paul "I want you to know how much you will suffer for me as you obey the call of God.   You are going to be beaten with rods and lashed five times. You will be stoned, shipwrecked three times, spend 24 hours in the ocean, cross dangerous rivers, encounter robbers, not to mention the persecution you will get from your  countrymen, and hostile Gentiles and false brethren.  " 2 Cor. 11

Paul would have got cold feet and backed off and stayed in the comfort zone.  But it was God's power that touched Paul and the school of the Spirit in the desert for 14 years.  You see the preparation time is important for the mission.  We "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus"   Phil. 3:14 

I felt the call of God on my life at the age of six, but it was not until the age of 17, when I got filled with the Holy Spirit, that I began to get a vision what God was calling me to.  At that age, I was enamoured with the great evangelistic tent crusades of the day and I thought that was what God was going to have me do.   Although, I used every door of opportunity God  gave me, it took a number of years and a move 800 miles away to see the next phase of my ministry unfold.  Then at the age of 42, God took me to another level and 20 years ago, we arrived on the shores of the USA to embark on an amazing journey of over 4,500 meetings and 245,000 miles of driving and countless hours of flying.  

Yet, having done all of that, I still feel like I have not yet achieved God's full potential for my life.  It's almost like God takes us through phases of our ministry.  When we are at the end of one phase, it feels like there is nothing more, then He unveils the next phase to us and we obey.  This is certainly an exciting journey filled with adventures in the Spirit.   The setbacks and difficulties are simply opportunities for God to show forth His goodness and mercy and ability to "always cause us to triumph in Christ." 2 Cor 2:14   The best thing we can do is "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding"   Prov. 3:5      Getting our own understanding out of the way is a learned behaviour.    Too much strategizing on my part can lead me away from His Divine purpose.    

I MUST learn to TRUST Him and know that He loves me and that "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness"  Lam 3:22-23   

God bless you richly. Gil Howard-Browne

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